Notes

Yes, in some ways, an anger management program constitutes a subculture. A subculture has different norms and values than the culture as a whole, and our culture can seem to celebrate anger and reward acting out in anger. Anger management programs advise people to deal with anger not by acting out but by learning skills to recognize their anger and deal with it in constructive ways, such as communicating their needs effectively, not using verbal or physical violence, and engaging in problem solving. These norms and values—of using logic and communication skills to diffuse one's anger and express one's emotions more calmly and effectively—are not always part of the larger culture, so therefore an anger management program can be said to represent a subculture. The theoretical perspective that might apply to an anger management course is functionalism, as this theory posits that each part of society contributes to the greater well-being of the society as a whole. If people express...

The overt theme is that of a newborn baby entering the world. Blake evinces the sounds, sights, and movements of that event: My mother groand [sic]! my father wept. . . Helpless, naked, piping loud. . . Struggling in my fathers hands. This is not a moment of joy, as indicated by the title "Infant Sorrow." The event of birth occurs from the perspective of the newborn, who expresses existential angst over being born: My mother groand! my father wept.  Into the dangerous world I leapt:  Helpless, naked, piping loud;  Like a fiend hid in a cloud.  The first sounds he hears are those of pain and weeping, which usually indicate sadness, not happiness. These aural signals suggest danger, but the infant does not shrink from this seemingly unwelcoming world—he leaps into it. There is contrast between the third and fourth lines. Though he is "helpless" and "naked," his voice "[pipes]" loudly, like that of a "fiend." He is fragile, yet also a pote...

The central conflict in Judy Blume's Blubber is actually a bit unusual because Jill, the protagonist, doesn't behave like a protagonist at all; she is instead much more of an antihero . A protagonist is the main character in a story who grows and changes as a result of overcoming the conflict; an antihero is a protagonist who doesn't have the typical characteristics of a protagonist, characteristics that make the reader love the protagonist such as "bravery, strength, charm, ingenuity, etc." ( "Anti-hero," Literary Devices ). Instead, Jill, the antihero, is a cruel bully and part of the in-crowd led by Wendy. When Wendy begins bullying obese Linda, Jill and the rest of the class follow suit. However, Jill does occasionally get into trouble for her actions though she never agrees to having been wrong. Since Jill gets into trouble but disagrees with the rest of society's view of right and wrong, we can call Jill's conflict a character vs. so...

The subtitle, “A Story of Wall Street,” appears to refer to the famous street in Manhattan, and would seem to support a particular reading of the story, in which Bartleby can be seen as an exploited worker, worn down by long service to the “machine” of capitalism. While this may be true, it’s not the only (or best) reading of the story. As you point out, the story is full of references to walls, screens, and blank views. The lawyer is at great pains to position Bartleby behind a screen; Bartleby’s window looks out only onto another wall; in fact, the whole architecture of the office seems designed to box Bartleby in and conceal him from view. Bartleby is as “blank” himself as the view out his window – the lawyer is never able to learn much about who he is or where he comes from. As the lawyer discovers when he finds that Bartleby has been living in the office, and persists there even after he relocates his office to another building, Bartleby has become part of the architecture, a kind...

The American involvement in Vietnam is widely considered to have been unjustified and disastrous. The U.S. became involved in the war because in the context of the Cold War, Vietnam was seen as a vital domino in the theory of the "domino effect," in which the conversion of one country in Asia to communism was viewed as liable to tip other countries in the region into communism.  Vietnam, which had long been colonized by France, was occupied by Japan during World War II. In 1945, when the Japanese forces left, Vietnam returned to French control. However, forces within Vietnam called the Viet Minh, which was an independence movement originally supported by the U.S. and China, came to oppose the French. Eventually, the Viet Minh lost American support and were supported by the Chinese. The French were dispelled from Vietnam after the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, after the U.S. President, Eisenhower, refused to get involved in supporting the French resistance against Vietnames...

In this passage, Tom is reflecting on his memory of his sister Laura as someone who will never be able to move in the world as others do because of her shyness and lack of confidence about her appearance. She is a "candle" in a world "lit by lightning," and this metaphor describes her quiet beauty and gentle ways, that may not be noticed or appreciated among people who are louder, more talkative, more assertive, or more glamorous. Tom fancies himself one of the kinds of people who Laura can never really fit in with: he is talkative, confident, and has a sense of adventure. He also has a deep urge to get away from his mother and his upbringing, and he knows Laura will never be able to get away as he has done, and this fills him with guilt.  The lit candles are Laura's memory and the image of her Tom carries with him. He tries to distract himself with other things, but cannot forget her. He says "blow out your candles, Laura," and the stage directions of...

When you apply heat to a metal hydrogen carbonate (frequently known as a metal bicarbonate as HCO3- is a bicarbonate ion), it will decompose into the corresponding metal oxide, carbon dioxide gas, and water vapor. The balanced reaction for the decomposition of zinc bicarbonate is as follows: Zn(HCO3)2(s) --> ZnO(s) + 2CO2(g) + H2O(g) (When you write out the reaction, heat is written as a delta or triangle above the arrow in the equation.) The zinc bicarbonate decomposes to form solid zinc oxide, gaseous carbon dioxide, and water vapor. The water vapor is gaseous as it is formed but may condense at the opening of the test tube. This is a general rule for metal bicarbonates. However, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) will decompose to sodium carbonate, water vapor, and carbon dioxide when heated instead of going to the metal oxide. The carbon dioxide formed is what causes baked goods to rise in the oven (in the presence of heat).